Almost 100 percent enrolment for Aadhar card in Delhi: Sheila Dikshit

New Delhi: Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit on Thursday said Delhi has achieved almost 100 percent enrolment for Aadhar card, days after the Supreme Court observed that it was not mandatory for availing government services.

Dikshit also emphasized that availing benefit of government welfare schemes through Aadhar has been ensuring "accuracy, transparency apart from containing corruption and fraud." She said introduction of Aadhar card has also eliminated the role of "middlemen".

"We have achieved almost 100 percent enrolment for Aadhar card. As against the population of 1.67 crore as per 2011 census, the total Aadhar enrolment in Delhi has now crossed 1.71 crore," she said. She expressed the hope that the Union Government would take up the matter with the Supreme Court keeping in view the inherent benefits that the Aadhar platform can offer.

The Chief Minister said Delhi was one of the first states in the country to adopt Aadhar platform for direct transfer of cash benefits to beneficiaries under Annashree scheme as well as a number of centrally sponsored programmes. "The city government had established an elaborate mechanism and put in considerable efforts to enable its citizens to get enrolled under Aadhar," she said.

Delhi government had made possession of Aadhar cards mandatory for availing of various government services. A two-judge bench of the Supreme Court on Wednesday had said that, "no person should suffer for getting the Aadhar card in spite of the fact that some authority had issued a circular making it mandatory."

The Centre has indicated that it may approach the Supreme Court for 'correction' of Aadhar order. She also reiterated that Aadhar helps in directly reaching the benefits to genuine persons. It is an innovative governance reforms tool with the potential of ensuring radical change in public service delivery.

"The Supreme Court has not refrained any government agency from enrolling citizens under Aadhar but has only ordered that Aadhar could not be made a mandatory to access government services," she said.